Whitworth men drop first Northwest Conference game at Pacific

From staff reports

FOREST GROVE, Ore. – A hot-shooting opponent ended Whitworth’s winning streak and gave the Pirates their first men’s basketball blemish in Northwest Conference play.

Whitworth couldn’t match baskets with Pacific University, which played an efficient game on offense and took down the Pirates 89-74 on Friday night at the Stoller Center.

The Pirates (12-6, 8-1 NWC) absorbed their first conference loss and had their winning streak stopped at seven games.

Whitworth had a respectable shooting night – 27 for 61 (44.3%) from the field and 11 of 31 (35.5%) on 3-pointers – but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Boxers (10-8, 4-5), who shot a season-high 55.2% from the floor and went 9 for 16 (56.3%) on 3-pointers.

The Boxers used a 12-3 spurt late in the first half to take a 43-34 lead into halftime.

Pacific held steady throughout the second half, responding to every sign of Whitworth momentum.

Pacific led by as many as 20 points with about 6 minutes to play.

Senior guard Sullivan Menard paced Whitworth with a career-high 29 points. He shot 7 of 19 on 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Stephen Behil contributed 15 points.

Two players passed the 20-point mark for Pacific – guard Lucas Winkler amassed 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and guard Jake Blazona totaled 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.

Women’s basketball

Pacific 74, Whitworth 40: The visiting Pirates were outmatched on the road against the conference’s top team.

Pacific routed the Pirates at the Stoller Center.

Whitworth (6-12, 3-6 NWC) struggled on offense throughout the night, shooting just 10 of 48 (20.8%) from the field and 5 of 19 (26.3%) on 3-pointers while committing a season-high 27 turnovers.

The Boxers (12-5, 8-1), who own the conference’s best record, pulled away midway through the second quarter with an 11-0 run.

They went into the half with a 43-25 lead and outscored Whitworth 21-5 in the third quarter.

Pacific shot 38.4% from the floor and went 15 for 20 from the foul line.

The Boxers were led by guard Brilie Kovaloff and forward Sydney Gray, who tallied 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Senior guard Kimberly Dewey was the only Whitworth player to score in double figures. The Reardan, Washington, native had 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.

Whitworth meets NWC opponent Willamette at 4 p.m. Saturday in Salem.